Local History Resources

The Flint Public Library of Middleton, MA, offers a variety of resources on the town’s history. While some of these resources are available only for use within the library, others are available to be borrowed, and still others are digital resources that are always available from devices with an Internet connection.

Local History in the Library

The library houses its local history collection in the balcony, where these items may be browsed. This collection includes:

Masconomet Regional High School Yearbooks, 1960-present

issues of The Tri-Town Transcript, 1989-present

issues of The Village Reporter, 1998-2009

issues of The Town Crossing, 2007

books by Middleton authors

a selection of historic maps of Middleton

a variety of historic books from and about Middleton, Essex County, and Massachusetts

Vital Records for Middleton may be viewed upon request.

A group of dedicated volunteers is working on compiling binders of photographs, articles, and other sources that relate to various aspects of the history of Middleton. These binders are available to look at in the library, upon request. The topics include:

Business

Cemeteries

Churches

D.P.W., Fire, M.E.L.D., and Police

Chief Masconomet, Will, Witches, and Folklore

Flint Public Library: Buildings and Events

Flint Public Library: People and Programs

Houses

Military

Personal Collection of Laura Woodside Watkins

B.F. Emerson

Charles L. Flint

People 1: A-H, People 2: I-R, and People 3: S-Z

Schools (2 Volumes)

School District

Social Life

Transportation

Genealogies: Bray Wilkins and John Willard

Military History and Balcony Collection

Middleton Square

Stream Team

Tri-Town Transcripts

Bicentennial Photo Collection–1976

State Register of Historic Places (2003)

Housing Inventory–1977

Middleton Postcards

Calendars 2003-2018

Celebrations and Parades

Government–Essex County, Commonwealth of MA, and Federal

Local History to Borrow

While most of our local history resources are in-library use only or online, the library’s collection does include some items pertaining to local history that may be borrowed. In general, books about the history of Massachusetts, including specific regions, counties, and cities, can be found in the non-fiction section at 974.4.

We also have DVDs of certain local events that may be borrowed. These include:

Middleton Bicentennial Parade, 1928

N&J Donuts: Photographs and Memories

Middleton Square & South Main Street, March 30, 1985

250th Centennial Parade September 24, 1978

Local History Online

In addition to being available to browse yearbooks in the library, you can find Masconomet Regional High School Yearbooks from 1960 to 2015 at the Internet Archive by clicking here. For ease of searching, we suggest sorting that webpage by date published.

Click here to view a digital copy of “Biography of Charles L. Flint and Brief History of the Flint Public Library,” a 12-page pamphlet compiled by the Board of Trustees of the Flint Public Library circa 1952.

Click here to view a digital copy of Images of America: Middleton by Shirley Paul Raynard with the Middleton Historic Society.

Click here to view a digital copy of Middleton in the Twentieth Century, presented by the Middleton Historical Society in 1998.

Click here to view a brief pamphlet outlining Middleton’s history and historic buildings. This pamphlet was created in 1975 by the Flint Library’s Bi-Centennial Committee and updated in 2018 by the Flint Library’s Assistant Director, Loretta Johnson.